A project to link the WB&A Trail in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties will receive $4.7 million from the Transportation Alternatives Program. The project will link the WB&A Trail in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties with a bridge over the Patuxent River. The 700-foot bicycle and pedestrian bridge will complete a key missing link in the WB&A Trail, which was built on the abandoned railroad corridor of the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railway. Once constructed, bicyclists and other trail users will be able to travel more safely than sharing the roadways with motorized vehicles on MD 450, MD 3 and MD 175. The WB&A Trail is a component of the East Coast Greenway and the American Discovery Trail, which are national trail systems running from Maine to Florida and Delaware to California, respectively. This project is the result of an inter-jurisdictional planning and design team with broad public interest and support.

Prince George’s County will launch phases 1 and 1A of a 5-phase effort to deliver bikeshare to Prince George’s County, connecting with bikeshare systems in the region. A Maryland Bikeways Program award of $188,765 will go toward phase 1A, which includes installing four bikeshare stations in the National Harbor area. Phase 1, which is construction, was awarded $737,362.50 from the Transportation Alternatives Program. In Montgomery County, a $269,834 Maryland Bikeways Program award will be used to expand the Bethesda Trolley Trail Bikeshare network in Bethesda to Grosvenor Metro Station.

Install 4 bikeshare stations along the Bethesda Trolley Trail and at Grosvenor Metro station, connecting to the bikeshare network in Bethesda ($269,834). The award will fund final design, purchase and installation of the stations that will connect existing bikeshare in Bethesda with new grant-funded stations to be installed in White Flint and Twinbrook in the spring of 2018.

60% Design of a planned bikeway on New Hampshire Ave. (MD650) in Takoma Park between Auburn Ave. and Holton Ln., enhancing connections between the Ethan Allen Gateway, the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail, and the Takoma/Langley Crossroads area ($240,000)

The project recognizes a lot of needs and components, but most important to cyclists are ideas to widen and rebuild the towpath and create more connections to it. They view it as one path, with 8 sections and 5 gateways. One goal is to connect the end of the towpath at Rock Creek with Mile 0 at the watergate possibly with a boardwalk and trail.

The towpath used to be on the west side of Rock Creek, but was destroyed and can't be easily restored. The existing towpath could be widened from 6' in places to 8' with a 4' overhang cantilevered over the canal.

The design also seeks to utilized the Aqueduct abutment, create better plazas, elevators, etc.... There's also the idea of bicycle parking and service station at Lock 1.

Where the canal meets Rock Creek, they're also considering a new footbridge.

Some Georgetown residents, though, are more concerned with what the canal might look like in the future than how it’s looked in the past. At the meeting, attendees were asked to comment on the design concepts using sticky notes. Among some of the concerns they attached to designs: “There is no consideration for the residents who live about the water!” and “Too much focus on space for people — too many people — what then happens to serenity.”

Pelegrin pointed to photos of High Line-goers basking on chairs along the walkway, and expressed concern that the canal would face the same fate: “When you open up a space in that fashion, you’re gonna get a lot of people–tourists–a bazillion people. That’s my concern,” she said. Pelegrin, who lives in a building along the canal, expressed interest in preserving “the bucolic and historical nature of it,” but was unenthusiastic about attracting more tourists the the already-bustling neighborhood.

We moved to a tourist neighborhood, but we don't want any tourists or people around.

Advocates in Washington County are attempting to resurrect what is arguably the best remaining rail trail opportunity in the state of Maryland. The Civil War Railroad Trail would run for 23 miles from the C&O Canal Towpath at Weverton (near the Appalachian Trail) to Hagerstown, passing through Keedysville on the way. It would run on the abandoned portion of the old Washington County Railroad to Roxbury and then adjacent to the still active portion to Hagerstown City Park.

The project will create tourism, economic development and healthy lifestyle opportunities for the Hagerstown and Washington County area.

Connectivity will be established, via the trail, between Hagerstown and Washington DC; Pittsburgh, PA., Northern, VA and could augment commuter traffic to the MARC rail line in Brunswick, MD

The project has already been killed twice. First in 1994, due to strong opposition "from south county residents and other groups" about property rights and fear of imminent domain issues. The project was revived again in 2012 and renamed the Civil War Railroad Trail.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners agreed... to reopen talks about building a “Civil War Railroad Trail” that would follow the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line from Hagerstown to Weverton.

[County Public Works Director Joseph Kroboth III] said the opposition in the 1990s came before rails-to-trails became common and their value was widely understood. Since then, the Western Maryland Rail Trail has been built from Fort Frederick to Pearre Station, passing through Hancock, Md.

“I think we will work diligently to try to ensure the property owners’ rights are protected,” Kroboth said. “We’re trying to create an amenity to our community that creates ... tourism opportunities and also possibly some small business development.”

These ribbons of trails that Washington DC environmentalists are threading throughout America are called GREENLINING (or greenways). Back in the early 1970’s when the likes of Rep. Mo Udall (also the guy who locked up Alaska, btw) tried to get national landuse planning into federal law (and failed), the environmental statists switched to the concept of ‘greenlining’ to put national landuse in place piece by piece.

Rail-trails are one of the mechanisms they use. Some local people may see the trail as innocuous (or as a boon to the local economy which will not be true in Washington County!), but what follows will be a clamoring for controls on the land in the VIEWSHED of the trail. It won’t be long and the county will be pressured into re-zoning land along the trail, or the state will come in to buy more land. Some yuppies from Washington, DC will say NO hog farms where I want to ride my bike! And, damn, I don’t want to see old farm machinery or a lot of laundry hanging on peoples’ clotheslines!

And a lot of adjacent property owners tried to claim ownership and raise fears of crime

“Several of the neighboring landowners have been talking and we question whether the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) actually owns the land that it claims,” Daly wrote. “Some of the landowners have documents that they believe mean that when the railroad was abandoned in 1978, the land reverted to them and so does not now and never did belong to the State.

“Other landowners have used and occupied the former B&O rail bed for more than the statutory period of 20 years and therefore under Maryland law they, not DNR, own the land.”

critics had a long list of reasons against the rail trail, such as the high price tag and the possible crime and noise it could bring.

By July of 2012, after it drew strong protests at a public meeting in Boonsboro, the trail was cancelled again. They even refused state money for a feasibility study.

“That’s the end of it, as far as we’re concerned,” said John F. Wilson, the associate director for stewardship within the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ land acquisition and planning unit.

During a discussion Tuesday about Maryland Department of Transportation’s offer of $100,000 for a feasibility study for the trail, Commissioner William B. McKinley moved to end the county’s participation in the project entirely. McKinley said there were too many unanswered questions, so accepting feasibility study money “would be wrong.”

BTW, here's a statement from Commissioner Jeffrey A. Cline in January of 2012

Wood asked commissioners to consider the "rights of the public majority" who want the trail rather than the few who want to bar access.

He said the Washington County Department of Planning and Zoning has said there is a countywide deficit for walking and jogging trails, especially in south county, that the rail trail would address.

Wood referred to a letter county resident William Daly wrote five years ago to an attorney about several neighboring landowners questioning whether the Maryland Department of Natural Resources actually owns the land.

Some landowners had documents they believed indicated the land reverted to them after the railroad abandoned a large stretch of the proposed trail, according to Herald-Mail Media archives.

Wood asked the commissioners to have the state review the matter.

Opponents continue to claim they have deeds to the land and that they're concerned about "crime and safety."

Anyway, not to get too far out ahead of things, since even this seems unlikely right now....but if the trail were built, they could then build a trail along the 3.7 mile Antietam Branch that goes around to the east side of Hagerstown past parks and the baseball stadium. And that could connect to a trail built on the ROW of the old Hagerstown and Frederick Electric Railroad which connects all the way to Frederick. Ah, to dream.

The 163-mile Pennsylvania route mostly follows off-road trails, including the popular Great Allegheny Passage, Montour Trail, and the Panhandle Trail.

Eventually the route will go all the way to San Francisco.

Pennsylvania’s portion of U.S. Bicycle Route 50 connects Maryland to West Virginia through a variety of natural and agricultural landscapes, historical sites, thriving small towns, and recreational hot spots. Cyclists can visit restored rail stations; Ohiopyle State Park, which has some of the best white water rafting on the East Coast; Point State Park in Pittsburgh; and the nearby Fort Pitt Museum. Additionally, Amtrak’s Capitol Limited route parallels U.S. Bicycle Route 50 between DC and Pittsburgh and offers the opportunity for cyclists to carry their bikes on or off the train at any station. This multimodal option allows for more flexibility to plan bicycle trips without a car.

In addition to the eastern end of USBR 50, the DC area also is the location of the northern end of USBR 1. Seems like one should be extended a little to connect to the other.

Someday you'll be able to bike all the way to San Francisco, making Indiana a bike-over state.

There was a workshop last night on Georgetown's C&O Canal revitalization project.

The NPS and Georgetown Heritage, with support from the D.C. Office of Planning and the Georgetown BID, are undertaking a plan/Environmental Assessment (plan/EA), and will work with the community and the American public to re-imagine, restore and revitalize a mile-long section of C&O Canal NHP.

The goals of the plan/EA are to restore the canal and preserve the historic character and cultural significance of the C&O Canal NHP, create active public spaces for people to relax or get active and enjoy history and nature, make it easier and safer for people to get to and enjoy the popular towpath, address maintenance needs, and look at ways to beautify and enliven the space through Georgetown’s Historic District.

The June 14 workshop will focus on the scope of the project and developing exciting concept designs. It will be just one of three workshops over the next year to solicit ideas and feedback as the design takes shape. Following a brief presentation, participants, working in small groups, will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ask questions. James Corner Field Operations (JCFO), renowned urban design and landscape architecture firm, has been contracted by Georgetown Heritage to develop designs and will facilitate the workshop.

• Portions of the towpath are uneven, narrow, and poorly lit, creating potential safety hazards;• Visitors with limited mobility can only access the towpath from Grace Street, NW (south of the canal). All other access points are not compliant with the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards (ABAAS);• Many access points to the towpath are not readily visible or unknown due to lack of signage;• The park desires to expand opportunities for interpretation, education, and cultural programming;• The park has limited amenities and facilities for visitor comfort such as seating, drinking fountains, and rest rooms; and

• Several plazas along the canal are underutilized and could be developed to provide additional recreational activities.

The Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO) received the draft copy of their Regional Bicycle Plan last month, and while it's a bit outside my coverage area, I figured some in the area might find it interesting. It's the plan for three West Virginia counties (Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson) and Washington County, Maryland including bronze-level bicycle friendly city Hagerstown. (they even use a WABA photo on page 46!)

The area is connected to DC by the C&O Canal and by now-bike friendly Amtrak, and those connections will only become more valuable as the communities covered by this plan work to connect to those resources. Some examples include

Install a bicycle/ pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River (Cacopon to the C&O Canal Towpath)

Demagall, now 42, is a symbol of all the trails have meant, not only to bikers and hikers, but to the economies of communities along the way.

He operates Golden Triangle Bike Rental, a booming bicycle rental and touring service, near the northern terminus of the Great Allegheny Passage, which connects to the C&O Canal Towpath Trail in Maryland, then on to Washington, D.C.

Demagall had 20 rental bicycles when he bought the business in 2006. Today he has a fleet of 200 bikes and logs tens of thousands of rentals a year, and provides support services for more than 500 riders a year who come from around the world to ride from Pittsburgh to Washington.

His business blossomed as development of the Great Allegheny Passage brought it closer to Pittsburgh, where it finally landed three years ago.

Well before that, Demagall saw how the trails were energizing nearby communities, he said.

It was the Great Allegheny Passage that changed hearts and minds about having trails pass through communities as link after link of rail trail was completed, Demagall said.

As the trail flourished, concerns about the impact of foot and bike traffic and an influx of people from outside the communities diminished.

A 2012 study pegged the economic impact of the trail at $50 million a year. Not a bad return for a project completed at a cost $80 million to build over 30 years.

If only this lesson could be transferred

He remembers when people in Connellsville pushed back against the trail, predicting it would bring “derelicts” and “thieves” to town.

“I think we've converted most of the locals. They see just how much business it brings in,” he said.

And to tie it in locally

Eric Oberg, director of the Midwest regional office of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, said planners, encouraged by the success of the Great Allegheny Passage, are looking for ways to link a series of trails in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia to create a 1,450-mile loop they've dubbed the Industrial Heartland Trail.

The National Park Service's National Capitol Region (NCR) recently released a draft version of its "Paved Trails Study", which serves as a plan for how NCR sees the paved trail network, both within and outside of the parks, developing in the future and as an update to the 1990 plan. In addition to identifying several high priority capital projects, the NPS Paved Trails Study also identifies some lower priority capital projects which it groups by park.

Here are all the paved trail projects identified for the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historic Park. Though the C&O Canal Towpath is 184.5 miles long, the scope of this study includes the Towpath as far west as Great Falls Park, representing approximately 13.5 miles of the total length. The NPS study is about paved trails, which it defines as asphalt or concrete trails that serve pedestrians and cyclists of all abilities. While the C&O Canal Towpath and the Fort Circle Hiker Biker Trail are not paved, NPS has included them in this study due to their regional significance.

a direct connection between the Key Bridge's west side and the CCT using a spiral bicycle bridge.

connecting the Towpath to the Palisades neighborhood at Fletcher's boathouse via a grade separated facility

connecting the Towpath and the CCT at Chain Bridge

connection the Towpath and Cabin John at either MacArthur Blvd or Vasser circle using the old trolley right of way (you can see the old trolley turn around and a spur on this map) and a bridge over the Clara Barton Parkway.

This regional position would be responsible for furthering the implementation the recommendations in this plan and the enhancement of the NPS paved trail network. The position would coordinate with all NPS park units, other federal, state and local land managers, and trail advocacy groups, regarding the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and promotion of NPS trails and those trail segments impacting the NPS network. The trail coordinator would be a liaison between the NPS units and trail partners to provide guidance on process requirements and would assist in the cultivation of trail partnerships, marketing, and communications.

It's kind of surprising that they don't already have one, and thus seems like a great idea.

Adopt a standard trail counting methodology and formalize agreement(s) with local government and expand the number of trail counters (2 separate recommendations)

NPS has noticed that trail counting has improved and the report notes that the installation by Arlington and Alexandria of counters along the MVT have benefited them. Improved trail use counts would provide a more accurate picture of trail usage for the overall network and the study dedicates numerous pages to the subject.

In addition to the number of trail users, trail data can be used to identify seasonality impacts, special event impacts, and can help substantiate the need for investment in high-volume corridors.

The count data they have is limited both in locations and in the length of time it's been available, and the bridge counts that DDOT does have not been done on all bridges in all years due to budget issues. And then sometimes errors in data counters aren't fixed for several months. Nonetheless, they note that all the counters show bike traffic and trail usage to be up. For example, bridge traffic for cyclists is up 78% between 2008 and 2014. Also of interest:

"The Key Bridge, Arlington Memorial Bridge and 14th Street Bridge accounted for 76% of all bicycle usage on area bridges, down from a high of 83% in 2011." [Which is another reason why improving the TR bridge could be so important].

"The fastest growing usage is primarily on bridges with on-road facilities, representing a combined 130% growth since 2008."

And somewhat humorously, "Despite the pronounced seasonality, there has been a steady increase in winter usage, from near zero in 2010 to approximately 20,000 in 2012." But the reason it was near zero in 2010 is that the trail counters in place then all registered zero cyclists in February due to Snowmaggedon.

"Three NPS-owned and maintained trails have trail count data available for analysis: the Mount Vernon Trail, the Towpath, and the Capital Crescent Trail. The Towpath has one of the longest time periods of data from automated counters available for analysis, spanning from 2009 to 2014"

"Data provided by NPS-maintained counters had errors or gaps in data approximately 30% of the months that counts were collected, whereas, the Eco-Counters maintained by Arlington County on the Mount Vernon Trail had errors or gaps approximately 8% of months. Errors associated with NPS counters lasted longer (approximately 4.8 months per occurrence) than errors associated with Arlington County counters (2.3 months)"

So, NPS would like to see more counters installed, and that they report data in a standard format. They recommend that jurisdictions co-ordinate their purchasing and maintenance for efficiency and that they work to close counting gaps. Some of the more notable gaps are along the Potomac Heritage trail, National Mall trails and Rock Creek Park Trails (no mention of whether or not the current projects will install any). "Emphasis should be placed on the junction and terminus points along the Capital Crescent Trail, Rock Creek Park Multi-use Trail, Anacostia Riverwalk Trail as well as the POHE."

Complete At-Grade Crossing Study and Develop Standards for At-Grade Crossings as part of the Study

Because at-grade crossings represent the most dangerous parts of the trails, NPS would like to improve them by studying, determining and utilizing best practices. " A primary focus of this effort may be directed initially toward existing crossings along the Mount Vernon Trail; however, development of design standards should have a regional application"

The Mount Vernon Trail has 18 at-grade trail crossings with vehicular traffic and another nine at-grade trail crossings associated with Arlington Memorial Bridge (NPS Transportation Scholar Report, 2012). Thirteen of the at-grade crossings exist south of the City of Alexandria. Many trail crossings occur at high vehicle volume intersections with minimum-to-no safety or signage features for pedestrian or cyclist crossings. The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designed as a scenic roadway along the natural terrain of the Potomac River. Points of interest and overlooks were designed to be reached by motorized vehicle. To improve overall safety, at-grade crossings should be targeted for roadway and trail safety enhancements; improvements could include improved sightlines, speed limit reductions in key areas, creating shorter trail crossing distances by narrowing or reducing lanes, introducing pavement markings, and improved crossing signage

Establish Comprehensive Trail Standards and Manual of Standards

NPS has no trail design standards.

The NCR should establish a set of trail design standards and guidelines unique to the NCR that define trail user types and at a minimum address trail width; clear zones; sight distances; crossings; markings; amenities; access; vegetation; safety features; lighting; snow removal; maintenance; signage; wayfinding; bridges; tunnels; and boardwalks. The standards and guidelines should take into consideration the regional hierarchy of trail and trailhead types (high volume corridors) and industry standards being implemented locally.

Obtaining comprehensive pedestrian or bicyclist accident or incident data related to NPS paved trails is difficult due to the number of agencies, organizations, and local police departments involved in tracking fatality and injury data. Methods and standards by which data is collected, reported, and made publicly available vary widely and the NPS incident reporting system does not currently require or capture incident geospatial information that could be used to analyze trends and target investment to specific locations. Protocols for incident reporting and data collection to increase trail safety should be developed and mile markers should be installed along all trails to aid emergency responders and trail users.

Unfortunately it appears that the worst tracker of data is the United States Park Police (USPP)

The Incident Management Analysis and Reporting System (IMARS) is a relatively new Service-wide system that is used by USPP to document incidents that occur in a park. Currently the system does not require or capture geospatial information for incidents that would allow mapping of incidents along trails for analysis. When an incident occurs, the location of the incident is typically referenced as the nearest roadway intersection when entered into the system, which may be a considerable distance from the actual location of the incident.

Develop National Capital Trail marketing and promotion program

Promotion of the National Capital Trail concept across the region should include the development of standards for signage and wayfinding system-wide and a trail map and booklet, as well as, interactive features such as virtual experience opportunities, i.e. mobile device apps, interactive mapping tools, educational websites. Efforts should include the establishment of a clear agreement with Arlington County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, City of Alexandria and the District of Columbia to advance the National Capital Trail concept and branding.

After years of promising it, Amtrak is about to offer roll-on bicycle service on the Capitol Limited route that passes through Pittsburgh.

With two premier bike trails parallel to the route, enthusiasts and bicycle organizations have long pressed the railroad to add the service. Currently, bikes must be dismantled and packed in boxes and can only be loaded on and off trains at staffed stations, of which there are none between here and Washington, D.C.

“The expansion of bike service will take place as early as next week,”

But...

Reservations will be required and the railroad will charge a $25 fee for the service, even though passengers will be responsible for rolling their bikes onto the trains, securing them, and rolling them off. Only standard-sized bikes will be permitted. The service will be available at all stations on the route, which extends from Chicago to Washington.